Ments



(N0 Model.)

T. ROGERS.

LAWNMOWER.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

N. PETERS. Fhow-Lnnogmphur. wnshngmn D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TIMOTHY ROGERS, OE SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE ROGERS FENCE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LAWN-MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,550I dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed August 6, 1884. Serial No. 139,803. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY Roenns, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Springeld, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mowers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lawn-mowers.

My invention relates to that class of lawnmowers in which a series of rotary knives are operated to cut the grass; and it consists in the combination, with the lawn-mower, of a certain kind of friction-gearing for driving the cutting apparatus. A one-way clutch is attached to the knife-reel shaft, in which springactuated pins engage the friction-pinion on one side ofthe case inclosing the rubber wheel, this case forming a section of the clutch.

Figure 1 is a top view of a lawn-mower with my improvement embodied therein. Eig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with a portion of the ground or driving wheel broken away to the interior of the same. Fig. 3 is a section through line fr, Eig. 2, with the drivewheel replaced.

The construction of the frame and cutting apparatus and the location of the latter in front of the axial line of the drive-wheels are the subject of another application, (No. 139,802, filed August 6, 1884,) and I do not therefore claim them in this.

Drive-wheels are used with an internal V- shaped groove in the rim. A pinion of rubber of reverse shape to the groove engages the latter and is driven thereby. This pinion is on the shaft of the knife-reel andin connection with the clutch, and the latter form the principal parts of my improvement.

A A are the ground wheels or drivers. These are formed with an internal V-shaped groove, b, on the inside of the rim. This groove is not central with the rim, but is nearer the inside edge, a rib, b', dividing the groove from a space, a, between the outer wall of the wheel and this rib, within which the end of the shaft C extends, enough room being allowed for a pin in the end of the shaft outside the vertical plane of the rib, there being a flat-threaded nut,a,screwed upon the sleeve b of the case to compress the rubber pinion a', which, as will be seen by Fig. 3, is on this sleeve between the nut and the inner wall of the case c, and is forced against the latter wall by the pressure of the nut, so as to cause it to expand into the groove b when adj usted. Only the bevel portion of the pinion engages the groove. The inner wall of case a is a part of clutch C', which latter is about twice the diameter of shaft C and forms the journal c for the shaft end which revolves in a bearing, c', in the end disks, B, of the frame A. The latter is connected in front by the guard-bar d', and in the rear by the curved hound-piece to which the tongue-bar or handle is attached.

The ground-wheels A are pivoted on spindles extending from the centers of the disk-shaped ends B. Y

In operating the machine, as the wheels A rotate the groove b engages the pinion c', pins e e engaging the grooves represented by the dotted line e across shaft C, Fig. 3, and when the ends of these grooves are reached the pinion and shaft turn together rotating the knife-reel. l

The use of friction-gearing is old, and I do not claim it broadly; but the combination therewith of the pin-clutch in the manner described affords the most direct Inode of driving the knife-reel shaft, and is believed to be new.

I therefore claim as my inventionl. In a lawn-mower, the ground-wheel having the V-shaped groove therein, the adjustable friction-pinion engaged therewith, the pin-clutch, the knife-reel, and the frame, said pin-clutch forming thejournal. of the shaft of said knife-reel, and the case of said frictionpinion forming a section of said pin-clutch.

2. In a lawn-mower operated by frictiongearing, as described, the combination, with the knife-reel, of the drive-wheel having the internal V-shaped groove, the rubber pinion, and means for adjusting the same, the pinioncase, the pin-clutch, both of the latter being IOC attached to the shaft of said knife-reel, and having the disk-shaped end, and a bearing in said pinion-case forming a section of said pinthe latter for the elutohjournal of the knifeelutch, and the frame provided with a bearing reel shaft, as set forth.

forsaid pin-c1nteh,which latter forms thejour- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 nal of said knife-reel, as set forth. presence of two Witnesses.

3. In a lawn-mower, the drivewheei hawing the Vshztped groove therein, the adjust- TIMOTHY ROGERS able rubber pinion, the pinion-ease, the pin- Witnesses: clutch, said pinion-oase forming a section of COLLIN FORD, Jr., xo the lzttter7 the knife-reel shaft, and the frame B. C. CONVERSE. 

